


Falling Asleep on the Screen

by Jaaynna



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Best Friends, Chara's not bad, Comforting, Depression, F/M, Frisk is a Sweetheart, Frisk's not bad, Going with the flow, Lots of drama, Love Triangle, OC is confused about feelings, OC is problematic, Self-Harm, Two Humans In The Underground, Undertale Saves and Resets, star-gazing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-08 19:13:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,392
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11088132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaaynna/pseuds/Jaaynna
Summary: Alexis Rogers adored the game Undertale, but she never asked to wake up on a bed of golden flowers. She realizes that she has foreknowledge that could change everything in Undertale. With Frisk willing to reset again and again, will Alexis be able to save the monsters and give them their true, happy ending?





	1. A Change

Once again I had spent another night playing on my laptop, my eyes growing tired. Undertale was so addicting, and I was on my second true pacifist route. I always felt bad for restarting the game, but that was just it. It was just a game. These people didn’t have emotions, they couldn’t move or interact with me at all - because they _weren’t_ real. Just codes.

I relaxed into my chair, my head tilting down as I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to fall asleep. There was still so much to do. I peaked to my side, seeing the sun enter my window. I sighed, angrily laying my head on my desk and closing my eyes. Sleep took my body over before I knew it.

 

* * *

  

When I woke up, I didn’t feel myself in my original position. I was on my back, feeling a warmth from beneath me. As I opened my eyes, I gasped at the sight I saw. A light was shedding into the small hole from way above, lighting up the darkness that surrounded me. I stood up, knowing where this was going. When I looked down, I nodded to myself, biting my lip. _Yep, a bed of yellow flowers. Great. What a great dream._  

I hauled myself to the arch that had been carved into the wall, allowing me to see the green patch of grass... And that damn weed. He looked demonic, not like a friendly flower. He was trying to put on his best smile, but with the beady eyes, it was a bit scary. Just a regular flower with a face carved into it... Hm. I rolled my eyes, cracking my knuckles when Flowey greeted me. “Howdy! I’m Flowey, Flowey the-”

“Yes, I know, Flowey the flower, cue the boring intro and the same thing over and over again, blah, blah,” I muttered, tapping my foot impatiently. He stood dumbfounded before his face transformed into a menacing glare.

“No need for intros then?” Flowey’s face seemed to grow in size as he spoke, “Just who _are_ you, then? Where’s Frisk?” He glowered at me, and I could tell he was trying to keep his cool.

“Frisk?” I muttered, furrowing my eyebrows. “I have no idea where the hell that kid is, I’m sorry to say. You must be used to the same old thing, over and over again, right? Them resetting?” I watched as Flowey’s face fell for a second before he put on that menacing glare again. “You wish you could still have that power, dont'cha, flower?”

“Well, guess there's no need for friendly introductions, then,” Flowey laughed maniacally. I swear, if he had shoulders, he would’ve shrugged. Suddenly, I felt a heavy force in my chest, and then it was gone. It felt like I was empty. I realized what happened as I stared up at my soul, which happened to be green. I felt a little upset that it wasn’t determination, but then again, I wasn’t really determined to do anything throughout my life. But I wasn’t really nice, either. It didn’t make sense…

“GREEN? BORING!” Flowey yelled, laughing as he did in the game. His voice was worse than what anyone depicted it to be, honestly. It was so _fucking_ annoying. Suddenly, a ring of ‘friendliness pellets’ surrounded my soul, and my eyebrows furrowed once again.

“Oh HELL no,” I screamed, looking frantically behind me. “HELP!” I screamed, starting to work up a sweat. I tried to move my soul with my hand, but there was nowhere to go. I was trapped.

“What’s wrong there, pal?” Flowey laughed as the bullets got closer to my soul, “Got no determination in ya? Hehe, that’s okay! I’ll _BREAK_ this barrier with your soul _AND DESTROY HUMAN KIND!”_

I squeaked as the bullets only got closer and closer, and I prayed that everything would go down like it did in the game. And as I counted down, I saw a fireball come from behind me, hitting flower-face and sending him crashing into the wall opposite of me. I grinned, whispering, “Goat mom for the win.”

“Child, are you alright?” Toriel asked, putting a paw on my shoulder. I turned around, my smile widening as I saw her. _Her_ , the fictional mother I never had. Her fur was soft against the sleeve of my sweatshirt. She tightened her grip, and I looked into her eyes. They were maroon... They were beautiful. _She_ was beautiful. “Child?”I snapped back into reality, or, er, dream, and smiled widely at her. “Yes! Perfectly fine! The flower didn’t even get a hit on me!” I gave Toriel a thumbs up, and she smiled gently. “However, I’m not a child,” I fluffed up my black sweatshirt. “I’m actually 23… And currently unemployed,” I muttered under my breath, before looking back at Toriel. “My name’s Alexis Rogers.”

I snapped back into reality, or, er, dream, and smiled widely at her. “Yes! Perfectly fine! The flower didn’t even get a hit on me!” I gave Toriel a thumbs up, and she smiled gently. “However, I’m not a child,” I fluffed up my black sweatshirt. “I’m actually 23… And currently unemployed,” I muttered under my breath, before looking back at Toriel. “My name’s Alexis Rogers.”

“Ah, I see,” Toriel nodded, “I am Toriel, caretaker of the ruins. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to come down here in a long time,” She took my hand, and my eyes widened as she guided me towards the door. “Come! I will guide you through-” She paused as she heard a thud from the entrance to the underground, and she looked at me in confusion. I looked back at her, just as confused.

Slowly, I let go of her paw, tracking back to the room where I woke up. Just as I imagined, there laid a little kid in a baby blue sweater with two purple stripes running across it. They had brown hair, but unlike the game, they had a darker skin tone instead of a yellow one. I carefully walked over to them, seeing their chest move up and down. They were obviously unconscious. I carefully picked them up bridal style, walking out towards Toriel. It was almost a delight to see her smile widen into a shocked one.

“A second human in just one day?” I asked with fake shock, “What a coincidence!”

 

* * *

 

Toriel, for the sake of the kid, immediately skipped all of the puzzles and took me to her home. She instructed me to lay the kid down on what I could only assume was Asriel’s bed. As I did so, I watched their sleeping form and carefully tucked them under the covers, making sure they were comfortable. “Toriel, are you sure they’re alright? They sure are taking their time on waking up..” I trailed off, biting my lip. Of course, this was a dream, but I still worried… For the sake of the dream kid.

“Child, they have just fallen from a very high place - onto a bed of flowers - and miraculously survived, as did you. I am sure they need time to recuperate,” Toriel muttered, clasping her hands in front of her. “In the meantime, would you like to assist me on making my pie? It would help the child when they wake up. Do you prefer cinnamon or butterscotch?”

“Oh, uh, why not both?” I shrugged, puffing my bottom lip out. Toriel looked down at me for a moment, before nodding.

“Very well then!” She said excitedly, grabbing my hand again and very carefully shutting the door to the room Frisk was in. She brought me to my kitchen, and I raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, Toriel, I can’t… I really... Uh,” I scratched the back of my head awkwardly, “I can’t really make a pie. Don’t know how to, I never learned... I can’t really be that much of a help..”

“Nonsense, my child!” She beamed at me, and I guessed that she really _hadn’t_ had company in a long while. “I will teach you!”

“Oh, goody,” I muttered under my breath, barely catching the playful glare she threw at me afterward.

After we had gathered all the ingredients, we had started to talk about our lives. It was almost as if we were playing the 20 questions game. “So, Toriel, is there more to the underground than just... Just the ruins?” I hesitated to ask that question, but I knew it needed to be asked. How else would Frisk and I edge our way out of here? Not that I didn’t love Goat Mama, but I needed to get back to _my_ surface and see my _family_.

“Oh,” Toriel quietly hummed as she mixed ingredients together, “Yes, I suppose there is. But it is dangerous. Too dangerous for a human, especially a human child.”

I cringed as I held my breath, pondering on if I should say what I thought. I paused my movements, looking at Toriel. “Tori, you cannot expect a child to stay with you for the rest of their life. Not down in a small, confined space like the ruins. There’s not a lot to do down here, and they will grow bored of it quickly. A child does not have a lot of patience, you know,” I gently put my hand on her shoulder, and she dropped the whisk she held. She put her weight on the edge of the sink, closing her eyes tightly as if she was reliving a horrid memory. “Tori? Are you okay? I’m sorry-”

“No, you are right,” she muttered, “I had a child... Two children... But they are gone. I miss them dearly, Alexis. All I have wanted was to have them back in my arms. I fear that if I let another child go... They will be destroyed by _him_... They all have in the past. I do not want you two to go, but they always leave in the end.. And in the end, it is always the same outcome. The human dies and another soul is collected. But this time, there are two humans and only one soul that is needed to break the barrier. One will live to see the other die,” Toriel let out a shuddering breath, “I do not wish that upon any child or adult. Asgore will not be kind to you if he has to spare the child’s life.”

“I understand,” I carefully put my hand on top of her paw, “If I die here, if I release the barrier for you and the child,” I paused, wondering if I said too much already, but continued, “Then I would have done you a service. 

“Let us not talk about such trivial things,” Toriel stood straight up, grabbing the whisk again. “There is pie to be made.”

I frowned as I realized that she was shrugging off the subject. I carefully took back my hand, heaving a huge sigh. “Yeah,” I mumbled, “Pie.”

 Once the pie was in the oven, I heard a small patter of footsteps. I looked behind me and saw the small human, Frisk. Their brown hair was ruffled and messy. They yawned and rubbed their eyes tiredly, looking at both Toriel and me in fascination.

“Hey,” I whispered, kneeling down to them, “How’re you feeling?”

“Tired,” They croaked, and my eyes widened. I didn’t expect to hear their voice, but it sounded... Sweet. I couldn’t exactly tell if they were a boy or girl, but it didn’t really matter. I felt protective of them.

“Oh, well the pie me and Toriel made will clear that right up,” I smiled gently at them, “My name’s Alexis Rogers,” I held out my hand, and they carefully held onto three of my fingers as they shook it. I held in my squeal of joy as I put my hand down.

“I’m Frisk,” They smiled at me, “I’m turning 9 soon!”

“That’s pretty cool,” I nodded, standing up, “I’m gonna turn 24 in like, 4 months,” I muttered. Back in my world, it was the summer time, about late May or early June. I had almost forgotten that this was a dream, and my smile diminished. I wanted to stay here... I didn’t want to wake up.“Hello, my child,” Toriel then bent down towards the child, “I am Toriel. Currently, you are in my home, as you have fallen down. Do you remember?”

“Hello, my child,” Toriel then bent down towards the child, “I am Toriel. Currently, you are in my home, as you have fallen down. Do you remember?”

“Yeah,” Frisk nodded, their eyes turning down towards the floor, “I remember.”

“Hey, Frisk’o, do ya mind if I talk to ya... In private, for a moment?” I asked, giving a glance to Toriel before looking back at them. Toriel stood back up by my side.

“Sure!” they instantly brightened up, and I took their hand and led them towards the fireplace. I was sure that Toriel wouldn’t listen in, but just in case, I started to whisper.

“Frisk, do you remember the resets?” I questioned, the laid back face I had dropping instantly. Frisk tensed, too.

“Yeah,” They muttered, then looked at me, “How do you know about that? How are you down here?”

“Honestly, I don’t know,” I sighed, “But I’m gonna shake things up a little. Just my presence being here has already changed things. Frisk..” I took a deep breath, “I need you to stop resetting. I really, really need you to stop. Don’t you know how many people it’s affecti…” I trailed off as I narrowed my eyes, watching their face intently. “You’ve done the genocide run, haven’t you?”

"They don’t leave me alone, ever!” Frisk suddenly yelled, standing up from their place on the floor while tears gathered in their brown eyes. “Even if I do a pacifist, they always come back at the end… I have nightmares about them every time I sleep! They don’t leave me alone! I made a mistake, one mistake! I never did it ever again, I promise, I swear!” They were full on crying now. “I only did it because Flowey told me to do it! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!”

“Frisk, it’s okay,” I knelt down, hugging them the best I could as they sobbed into my shoulder. I didn’t know I was going to be getting as many emotional conversations as this in one day... Jesus. “Frisk, you made a mistake, I understand, the important part is that you learn from it. Why do you keep resetting? You get to the surface, yeah, but you reset, don’t you?”

 “It’s because of _them_ !” Frisk screamed, pushing away from me. “No matter what I do they're still there! I can’t make them go away, no matter how many times I apologize! If I’m down here, they can’t get me! But if I’m up there..” Frisk trailed off, “They could take control like they do in my nightmares and kill my whole family..”

“Frisk, they have _no_ power over you. They’re dead. They haunt you because of your choices, but they cannot control you. This is something you’ll need help with, you need time. A huge ass mistake was made, but you can still get help. I am sure everybody that remembers the timelines will forgive you. I’m here, now, and I’ll help you, too. Just please,” I took a breath, shaking my head. “Please, don’t reset.”

Frisk paused their crying, wiping their tears away before sniffing. “I won’t, I promise,” They croaked. “I’ve never had someone like you here with me while I was down here... I was always alone... But Asgore.. What will he do?”

“I don’t know yet, Frisk,” I helped them up and hugged them tightly. “We’ll just have to find out.”

“Is everything alright in here?” Toriel called out, peeking from the kitchen. “I just heard yelling, and I thought it’d be best if I asked once everyone was... Well, once the situation was handled..”

“Yes, thanks, Tori,” I smiled at her, patting Frisk on the shoulder. “Everything’s okay. How’s that pie coming along? 

“Ooh, it is finished!” Toriel said, grinning from ear to ear. She rushed to bring the pie out on the dining table. I sat on one side of the table, Toriel sat in the middle, and Frisk sat in the child’s chair, which I presumed was.. Asriel’s... I frowned, quietly taking the piece of pie and setting it on my plate.

“So, Alexis,” Toriel mumbled as she ate her pie, “What career path do you want to follow?”

“Oh,” I shrugged, messing with the pie, “I don’t really know. That’s why it’s been hard for me to choose. I’m really into photography, art, and singing… But still. Those are permanent choices. I’m just not sure I’m ready for that yet.”

“Ah, I see,” Toriel nodded, and Frisk smiled at me. “Well, I have wanted to be a teacher for the longest time. It would be an absolute joy to teach monster’s about our history!” Toriel paused, seeming to deflate. “But I cannot let Asgore know of my whereabouts.”

“You seriously care about that old bag of bones?” Alexis tilted her head to the side, “What? He’s your king?” She already knew the answer, of course.

“Yes,” Toriel’s face darkened. “He _is_ my king... Just not a very good one.”

“Hm. Getting a lot of bad vibes,” I mumbled under my breath, before turning towards Frisk. “So, Frisk, what’s your favorite color?”

“I don’t really know,” They shrugged, “Probably red.” They gave me a shit-eating grin and I smirked. _Cocky, much?_

“Ah, really? Mine’s green,” I pursed my lips, raising an eyebrow at them. They narrowed their eyes before shrugging.

“Mine is purple!” Toriel said, smiling as she continued to eat her pie.

“Aw, Toriel,” I said before an idea struck me. “Pie like you berry much,” I grinned, folding my hands as she gave me an odd look.

“Was.. Was that a pun, my child?” She giggled, putting a hand to her chest. “My goodness, you are full of surprises,” She laughed harder, and Frisk gave me an unamused look.

“Damn straight I am,” I muttered, and Toriel shook her head. I took a deep breath, taking another bite out of my pie before I looked at her. Her eyes met mine and she knew what I was about to say. Her face immediately dropped. “Toriel, I’m really sorry.. But I have to go,” I whispered.

“No, I understand,” Toriel sighed, getting up from her seat. Frisk followed, coming over to my side. They tugged on my shorts, and I looked down at them, giving them a sympathetic smile.

“I’m coming too!” They said with determination. _Determination. Ha_.

“My child..?” Toriel looked down at Frisk, and in that moment I could’ve sworn I saw her soul split in two. “I had thought you wanted to stay, just for a bit..? It is dangerous out there, Frisk.. 

“Alexis will protect me!” Frisk nodded, and I tried not to show how much Frisk’s certainty disturbed me. I tried to give Toriel a smile, but it wavered.

“I.. I suppose she will, little one,” She patted Frisk on the head before she walked towards the stairs. “Follow me,” She said dejectedly.

I held Frisk’s hand as I followed Toriel, stopping quickly. “Toriel, do you have a coat?” I asked, my eyes landing on Frisks form. Toriel gave a sign of realization, before nodding quickly. I was surprised she didn’t comment on the fact that I knew there were different climates in the underground. Toriel clasped her hands and went into Asriel’s room. Once she came out, my eyes fell on the light green coat that she held. I nodded at her in sympathy as she held the coat tight, before sighed. “Here, my child. Please wear it, as it will keep you warm in extreme temperatures.” Toriel smiled gently at Frisk and helped them into the coat. Frisk looked so cute.

“Would you like a coat, too?” Toriel questioned, and I shook my head quietly. “Oh! Yes, I almost forgot!” She rushed into the kitchen before coming back out with a backpack and an ancient phone. “You will need a phone to contact me through the underground,” She gave me the backpack and tucked the phone into a pocket. “I have also put a container of butterscotch cinnamon pie in there. You can call me any time you like..” She paused suddenly, her eyes watering. “But if you do not call.. I will just assume that you are…”

“Tori,” I took her hand, nodding at her. “I’ll call in daily. I’ll keep the squirt safe,” I gave a quick look at Frisk. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

“Yes.. Let me guide you to the exit, then,” She took a deep breath. I put the backpack on and held Frisk’s hand as Toriel led us to the exit.

Once we got there, I turned towards Toriel, smiling brightly at her. “Once again, truly, thank you.”

“You are welcome, my children,” She smiled back, and before I knew it, I was hugging her tightly. It was the warmest hug I had ever received. Honestly, I never wanted it to end. This is what I wanted the entire time I played Undertale, and now I was finally hugging Goat Mom. I stepped away from Toriel, and then Frisk gently hugged her. Toriel squeezed the life out of Frisk, and once they let go of each other, Toriel nodded at me. “Goodbye.”

I waved and breathed heavily as Toriel opened the door. A long, dark corridor awaited me and Frisk.

I heard footsteps behind me and realized that Toriel had walked off. I swear I had never felt worse in my life.

“Come on, Frisk,” I held their hand tightly and we made our way down the corridor. I felt fear course through my veins as I thought about what _he_ would say. So many things had changed already, I mean, Toriel wanted to call me throughout my adventure for god's sake 

As we finally got to the exit, there stood Flowey on his little patch of grass. He smiled at us all the same, but I didn’t emote anything.

“Clever. Verrrryyy clever,” He glared at the both of us. “You think you’re really smart, don’t you?” I stayed silent, my grip tightening on Frisk’s hand. “In this world, It’s kill or be killed.”

“No, it’s not,” I growled, looking at him long and hard. “That’s not the rules. Kill or be killed my ass. I’m leaving, me and Frisk are gonna spare everyone, and the monsters are _finally_ going to have their happy ending. No more resets.”

“What? Did Frisk promise you that?” Flowey snorted, “They said the same thing to Sans. Every route they say it. They never mean it. Once you get your happy ending, Frisk will take it away.”

Frisk’s grip was now the one tightening. I breathed heavily, trying not to scream. “Yeah? And you’d do just the same if you had that power. Frisk has made past mistakes. We all have, but they’re trying to get better.” I looked down at them, and they looked up at me. “No more resets, _please_.”

“I promised you,” Frisk nodded their head, “No more resets.”

“Good. We’re leaving,” I pulled Frisk with me as I stepped over Flowey, opening the door.

“You’re making a mistake,” Flowey growled, “ _Why_ are you trusting them?”

I turned to Flowey, my eyes narrowed. 

“Because I _was_ them," I spat back, before walking out of the door and into the cold. The door shut automatically behind me and Frisk.

 “Lets go.”


	2. Reset Knowledge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suspicions are made. Promises can definitely be kept now. Alexis learns a little more about Frisk and what their personality is like. A lot of cussing ensues.

Frisk was ahead of me, checking out all the trees on the snowy path. I stayed back, glancing quickly at the camera set in the bush. I waved at it, knowing Alphys was watching, and then caught up with Frisk. I knew any moment now the stupid tree branch we had just passed would crunch underneath  _someone's_ foot. "Frisk," I muttered, feeling chills run up my back. Now I had wished for the coat Toriel had offered. "How you holdin' up? You cold?"

"Nope!" They said cheerfully, tugging the coat closer to their body. "How are you?"

"Oh, y'know," I tried to stop my teeth from chattering, "I'm totally freezing my butt off, to be honest," I pulled my sweatshirt closer to my body, trying my best to stay warm.

"Don't worry, I have a few gold left from my last reset," They told me, "We can use that to buy a room in the inn! And you can spare monsters to get a burger at Grillby's!"

"Yum," I muttered, hearing my stomach rumble. "I am really hungry. I can't wait to try Grillby's burgers." I stopped walking once I heard the stick finally snap, and I whirled around, my eyes narrowing. The stick, of course, was broken on the snowy pathway. I rolled my eyes, continuing to walk. "Anyway, as I was saying, I'm super hungry. From what, I don't exactly know."

"Well, you fell underground out of nowhere," They muttered under their breath.

"Um, actually, I didn't fall. I just.. Sorta.. Woke up here," I shrugged, clearing my throat awkwardly. Frisk grave me an odd look, scrunching up their nose.

"Did someone.. I don't know, did they just carry you to the mountain while you were asleep and then throw you off? Wait.. How would that work?" Frisk asked themselves, and I chuckled quietly.

"No, no, that's not it, Frisk. You know I have-" I paused when I heard footsteps crunching behind me, and I quickly turned around. Sans was still nowhere in sight. "You know what? Let's continue this conversation when we're  _not_ being followed," I whispered, before continuing on. Frisk watched me warily before nodding.

Once we reached the bridge Frisk sighed, looking up at me. "Don't be scared," They muttered.

"Yeah, I know," I held my breath as I heard footsteps crunching behind me. Damn, he loved to be mysterious. I was honestly scared of what he would look like. In the game, he was cartoonish, and literally just a sprite. Now, would he look like a real skeleton? Would he be less punny, and more serious?

"Humans."

Ah, there was his voice. He sounded gruff, like his vocal cords were filled with grains of sand. Of course his voice was deep, too. It was kinda relaxing.

"Don't you know how to greet a new pal?"

This was kinda annoying now.

"Turn around and shake my hand."

Quickly, I turned around, opening up his palms to see the pink whoopee cushion. I looked up at him with an eyebrow raised, taking the pink cushion from him. His face was hilarious! "Boy, what the hell," I mumbled, squishing the whoopee cushion so all the air was out. Awkward silence ensued.

"heheh… the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. it's ALWAYS funny," Sans took his hoodie down, revealing his face. It wasn't like a normal human skull, it was larger and more round. He seemed to have permanent eye bags carved into his skull, same for his smile. To be frank, he looked  _real_ tired. "anyway, you're humans, right?"

"Yup," I popped the 'p', putting my hands into the back pocket of my shorts. "As humanly human as we can get, isn't that right, Frisk?"

"Yup!" Frisk copied me, shooting finger guns towards Sans. I muffled my laughter with a few coughs as Sans gave us a weird look.

"that's hilarious," He eyed us both, "i'm sans. sans the skeleton. i'm actually supposed to be on the watch for humans right now. but… y'know… i don't really care about capturing anybody. Now my brother, papyrus… he's a human-hunting FANATIC."

I turned around worriedly as I heard loud-pitched mumbling. I turned towards Sans, biting my lip. "That wouldn't happen to be that same human-hunting fanatic right there, would it?" I was excited to meet Papyrus, but then again, this was only a dream. Anything could go wrong with me here to alter it.

"yep, it would," Sans nodded over to Papyrus, "i have an idea. go through this gate thingy." Sans watched Frisk's face turn to an expression of concern and his eye lights flickered. "yeah, go right through. My bro made the bars too wide to stop anyone." We did as Sans told, coming to the sight where I would finally get to witness Papyrus in all his glory. "quick, behind that conveniently-shaped lamp." Frisk immediately went to the lamp, while I gave Sans a look of concern. I could hear his bro getting closer. "oh, yeah," He muttered, glancing at me, "go behind that wooden post, right there," He nodded to his station and I quickly jumped over the side, ducking below all the condiments.

"sup, bro?" Sans asked. I peeked a little to see Papyrus, and sweet jesus he was tall! And adorable, but that wasn't the point.

"YOU KNOW WHAT "SUP," BROTHER!" Papyrus exclaimed. I winced as his voice entered my ears and shook the feeling off. I would need to get used to that. I looked over at Frisk, noticing that they didn't even flinch. Of course they didn't, they were used to this by now. "IT'S BEEN EIGHT DAYS AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T… RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES!" Paps continued, "YOU JUST HANG AROUND OUTSIDE YOUR STATION! WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING?!"

"staring at this lamp. it's really cool. do you wanna look?" Sans asked, and Frisk rolled their eyes. I grinned at them, holding in my laugh.

"NO! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT!" Papyrus yelled, stomping against the snow in a mini temper-tantrum. Yikes, I would  _definitely_  have to get used to that. "WHAT IF A HUMAN COMES THROUGH HERE!? I WANT TO BE READY! I WILL BE THE ONE! I MUST BE THE ONE! I WILL CAPTURE A HUMAN! THEN, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS… WILL GET ALL THE THINGS I UTTERLY DESERVE! RESPECT… RECOGNITION…" Aw, my poor baby Papy… "I WILL FINALLY BE ABLE TO JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD! PEOPLE WILL ASK, TO, BE MY, "FRIEND?" I WILL BATHE IN A SHOWER OF KISSES EVERY MORNING!"

Poor Paps, he just wanted more friends…

"hmm… maybe this lamp will help you," Sans pushed.

"SANS! YOU ARE NOT HELPING! YOU LAZYBONES! ALL YOU DO IS SIT AND BOONDOGGLE! YOU GET LAZIER AND LAZIER EVERYDAY!" Papyrus stomped, clenching his gloves. I shook my head.  _If only Paps knew what Sans did for him._

"hey, take it easy. i've gotten a  _ton_  of work done today. a skele- _ton_ ," Sans winked. I muffled my giggles in my hand and Frisk threw a glare at me. I couldn't help it, I was so giddy seeing that these two were actually  _here_.

"SANS!"

"come on. you're smiling," Sans said, his grin growing.

"I AM AND I HATE IT!" Papyrus stopped his stomping, "SIGH… WHY DOES SOMEONE AS GREAT AS ME… HAVE TO DO SO MUCH TO GET SOME RECOGNITION…"

"wow, sounds like you're really working yourself…" He paused, and I waited in anticipation, "down to the bone." This time, it wasn't as funny.. But still a bit funny.

"UGH! I WILL ATTEND TO MY PUZZLES… AS FOR YOUR WORK? PUT A LITTLE MORE, "BACKBONE" INTO IT! NYHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!" Papyrus laughed before walking back down the path he came from. I waited a moment, and he came back, giving another "HEH!" before leaving. I slowly raised myself from the ground, looking at Sans.

"Is he gone? Like, for good now?" I questioned, even though I knew the answer.

"yeah, you can come out now," Sans said, and Frisk walked out behind the lamp while I hopped over the station counter. I came by Frisk, patting them on the shoulder. "you oughta get going. he might come back. and is he does.." Sans stopped ominously, before giving a wink and continuing, "...you'll have to sit through more of my hilarious jokes."

Frisk started to walk off while I mumbled under my breath, "I wouldn't mind that." For a moment I thought Sans gave me a dark glance, but I shrugged it off and followed Frisk.

"actually, hey… hate to bother ya, but can you do me a favor?" Sans asked. I turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Depends. What's the favor?" I tilted my head when Frisk shook their head, sighing. They obviously wanted to get this adventure through the underground over with. I, however, wanted it to go on forever.

"i was thinking… my brother's been kind of down lately… he's never seen a human before. and seeing you two might just make his day. don't worry, he's not dangerous. even if he tries to be," Sans looked at both me and Frisk, his gaze lingering longer on Frisk. I sensed a tension between the two. Once again, bad vibes.

"Sure," I shrugged, "He seems harmless." Sans' eye lights flickers and he tilted his head as well.

"thanks a million. i'll be up ahead," He paused, looking back towards me. "on second thought, kid, can I talk to ya?"

"Uh," Frisk croaked, stepping up, but Sans shook his head, nodding towards me. I gulped, tugging on the collar of my shirt.

"Me?" I asked, and he nodded. I looked back to Frisk, shrugging as if it didn't affect me. "Frisk, go up ahead. I'll catch up with you." Frisk gave me an odd look before sighing and continuing on the path where Papyrus headed. I turned towards Sans, who was now leaning on a tree. "So, whats up? What did you need?"

Suddenly, I slammed against a tree, my back aching at the force. I.. I thought you couldn't feel pain in a dream..!? I cried out, clenching my hands. I realized my whole body was surrounded by a blue aurora. "Who are you?" Sans growled, looking me up and down.

"I'm… My name's Alexis! Alexis Rogers! I'm 23 years old, AGH!" I heaved heavily, trying to force my words through the pain. "I'm not supposed to be here, I know, you're probably really weirded out that I'm here, and that's putting you on edge, I get it! Just, p-please, put me down!"

Sans sighed, letting me down. I laid on the snow, trying to get the air back into my lungs. "Why are you here?" Sans asked, bending down to my level on the ground. He looked into my eyes, and I saw that his left eye was alight with blue mist. Great.

"I really, seriously, don't know. I just woke up on a patch of flowers. I played this game called Undertale, about you guys, y'know?" I shrugged, panicking slightly when I saw Sans eyelights disappear completely. "I m-mean, I thought this was dream. I wake up on a patch of flowers after falling asleep while playing my favorite game? That sounds like a dream scenario, right? Uh, well, I'm starting to think this actually  _isn't_ a dream, heh," I looked into both his eye sockets, my eyes flicking back and forth to try and see his expression. He looked really shocked. "I probably should've been awake by now, and I think something's gonna be wrong with my back now, thanks to you," I wrung my hands around nervously as Sans stepped back.

"i'm sorry, kiddo.." Sans rubbed the back of his neck, "you said you were playing a game.. about us?"

"Yeah, a game about all the undertale characters. You play as Frisk and go around befriending people or.." I trailed off, my eyes flickering down to the snow. "Uh, y'know.. And at the end, you can either get to the surface or, uh.. Other things happen. It's a really beautiful game, in all honesty," I smiled at Sans, trying to release the tension in the air.

"you're saying. i'm… in a game. that all my friends, my bro, frisk… we're apart of a video game?" Sans questioned, laying one of his hands against his skull. I nodded quietly.

"Though, I suppose it's not a video game anymore. All those resets Frisk did, well, other players in my world would reset to get a different ending or go a different route, y'know? Have you heard about the multiverse theory or whatever? Different realities and shit?" I asked, tilting my head. Sans nodded.

"'course i have," He mumbled, "so you're from a different reality, eh? you're an anomaly, then. you're not supposed to be here."

"Oh wow, thanks, I feel really welcomed over here," I muttered angrily, standing up. I put my weight against the tree as my back began to ache again.

"sorry," Sans shrugged, helping me off the tree, "say, after you're done goin' through my bro's puzzles, why don't you come with me to grillby's? my treat."

"Always wanted to try fire-man's burgers," I nodded at Sans, giving him a smile. "So.. Sure."

"cool. i'll be up ahead," Sans said, waving at me before he began to walk the opposite way, towards Toriel's house.

"Right.." I muttered, raising an eyebrow. I turned around, following the path that Frisk took. Once I reached the second area, I saw Frisk sitting in the snow dejectedly. They looked up at me, a smile growing on their face.

"Are you okay? I was so worried! I thought Sans did something to you!" Frisk bounded up, coming to my side as if they were checking if I had any injuries. I laughed.

"Nah, I'm okay. The skelly just wanted to talk. He knew I wasn't supposed to be here," I told them, and they looked up at me in concern.

"So.. How  _did_ you get here?" Frisk asked, and I took their hand as we began to walk towards the place where the fishing rod would be.

"Oh, uh, when I said I woke up here.. Well, I was playing a game about ya'll. A game called Undertale. I fell asleep and when I woke up, I was actually  _in_ the game. So.. I have mega foreknowledge, basically." I paused as a Snowdrake came in between us and the world turned black and white. "Oh, goddamnit!"

"Alexis!" Frisk gasped in fake shock and I rolled my eyes as the battle began. I checked the Snowdrake's stats.  **6 ATK 2 DEF.** _This teen comedian fights to keep a captive audience._

""Ice" to meet you," Snowdrake laughed and a couple of round, swirling circles came at my heart. I realized that Frisk, too, was in the battle. Huh. Luckily, I dodged all the circles and decided to laugh at his joke. "See? Laughs! Dad was wrong!" Snowdrake exclaimed, before firing the same attacks he did before. After Frisk and I had dodged all the attacks I quickly spared him. He left, and in his place was a bag of.. Gold?

"Neat," I mumbled taking the bag of gold and placing it in the backpack. I walked over to the fishing rod and checked the photo of the odd monster with the phone number scribbled on the bottom of it. I pushed past my curiosity and followed frisk out of the room.

We walked to the next room, seeing both Papyrus and Sans. I felt giddy just looking at them. I had to get past the fact that these people were, in fact,  _real_ , they did have emotions and they  _did_ feel pain. I couldn't play around with their emotions, so I wouldn't.

"SO, AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDYNE," Papyrus stopped talking to Sans, noticing our presence, and turned towards us, before turning back to Sans. Sans did the same, and before I knew it, just looking at them spinning around in circles made me dizzy. They finally stopped, both brothers deciding to turn away from us to talk to each other. "SANS! OH MY GOD! ARE THOSE…. HUMANS!?" They both turned back to face us. Papyrus looked like the happiest skelly on earth.

"uhhh…. actually, i think those are rocks," Said Sans, and I turned to look at the rocks beside Frisk's feet.

"OH," Papyrus said, quieter this time. Now he looked totally deflated.

"hey, what's that in front of the rocks?" Sans questioned, his grin growing in size. I narrowed my eyes at him, tapping my finger against my thigh as Paps looked at us again.

"OH MY GOD!" Papyrus screeched, turning back to his brother. "(ARE… ARE THOSE HUMANS?)"

"(yes.)"

"OH MY GOD! SANS! I FINALLY DID IT! UNDYNE WILL… I'M GONNA… I'LL BE SO… POPULAR! POPULAR! POPULAR!" Papyrus breathed deeply, stilling for a moment. "... 'AHEM'. HUMANS! YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU!" Papyrus, in that moment, looked like the cutest little cinnamon roll ever. "I WILL THEN CAPTURE YOU! YOU WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL! THEN… THEN! I'M NOT SURE WHAT'S NEXT. IN ANY CASE! CONTINUE… ONLY IF YOU DARE! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!"

"So cute," I mumbled under my breath. Frisk hit me on the leg, glaring up at me while I grinned at Papyrus's retreating form.

"well, that went well," Sans grinned at both of us. I was so happy to see Papyrus in a good mood. "don't sweat it, kiddos. I'll keep an eye socket out for the both of ya's."

My heart swelled with happiness as Sans walked after his bro. I turned towards Frisk, grinning my heart out.

"Well, you're enjoying this," Frisk rolled their eyes, continuing to walk on. I caught up with them, looking at them awkwardly.

"And you're not?" I asked, putting my hands in the back pocket of my shorts again. "They're so sweet!"

"Yeah, but I've been down here millions of times. I've done this thousands of times, granted, I can't really remember all of it that well. The only run I remember vividly is the one… Where I hurt everyone. Their faces are etched into my brain. I can't get it to leave," Frisk shuddered. I was kind of astounded by how mature they were acting.. But they basically had been alive far longer than what they looked like, with the resets and all that. They must've had much more knowledge in their head than what they fell down here with.

"Yeah, true. Okay, I see your point, but don't you just love them?" I asked, smiling brightly. Frisk looked into the snow, nodding.

"Yeah. Love them to death," They mumbled, pulling their sweater over their mouth. I gave them an odd look before coming across where I knew Doggo was.

"Did something move? Was it my imagination?" Doggo questioned, coming up from under his station. "I can only see moving things. If something WAS moving… For example, a human… I'll make sure it NEVER moves again!" And then I was pulled into battle. Frisk was left outside of the battling box, looking at me worriedly. I gave them a thumbs up, and Doggo looked around wildly. "Who's there!?" He called. I tried to pet him, but Doggo attacked immediately. "Don't move an inch!" He yelled. I did exactly what he said, watching as his sword moved across me. I tried not to breathe deeply for fear that he would notice. Finally, his turn was over. I reached over and gently pet his head, smiling at him. "WHAT! I'VE BEEN PET! PET? POT? PAT? PET? PAT? PET? POT?" His sword moved over me again and I closed my eyes, biting my lip. Once I felt his sword leave, he stood quietly, as if he was shellshocked. I hit the spare button, and the world of color came back. "S-S-S-Something pet me… Something that isn't m-m-moving… I'm gonna need some dog treats for this!" Doggo disappeared under his station again, and I coughed as I smelt something burning.

"Come on, Frisk," I waved away any smoke that came at me, and Frisk laughed as they caught up to me. We walked to the next area, immediately seeing Sans, casually standing with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey, here's something important to remember," Sans winked at us, "my brother has very special-"

"Yeah, we know," I rolled my eyes, "Stop signs are red, when you imagine a stop sign think of it was blue, but you're trying to trick us with your magic or something to make us somehow think of yellow," I mumbled, pulling Frisk away from Sans. Sans raised an eyebrow at us, but I ignored him. I pulled Frisk towards the room with the snowman, and Frisk sighed.

"Not him," Frisk tried to pull away from me, "Can't we just skip him?" They whined.

"Uh, no? He want's to see the surface too," I chastised, walking up to the snowman.

"Hello. I am a snowman. I want to see the world… But I cannot move. If you would be so kind, traveler, please… Take a piece of me and bring it very far away," The snowman said. I tilted my head, smiling at him.

"Sure thing, snowman!" I held my hand and somehow, a small ball of snow appeared in my hands. It was magic, so it didn't melt.

"Thank you… Good luck!" The snowman cheered, and I put the piece of him in my backpack.

"Bye, snow-dude!" I waved at him and both me and Frisk left the room. Frisk hunched over, audibly sighing multiple times to get my attention. "Frisk, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"Can't we just skip the boring parts? We both know what happens, so-"

"Don't," I said, all playfulness gone from my voice. I stepped away from them, gritting my teeth. "These monsters, I have wanted to meet them ever since I played the game. They were… They were my family, Frisk. I was  _you_. I'm sure you remember the first time you beat Asriel and got to go to the surface with your new family." Frisk looked at the snow, nodding quietly. "This is an adventure I have wanted for  _so_ long. I'm not skipping  _anything_  unless I'm forced to. I'm finally here, gaining more friends than I've ever had in my entire life. You've had your adventure and you  _ruined_ it by resetting. So let me have mine," I growled, but took a deep breath at the tears that gathered in Frisk's eyes. "Frisk, it's not your fault.. I'm sorry, okay? Let's just… Let's get going."

"Okay," Frisk whispered, and we both walked on awkwardly to the next area. There was Sans and Papyrus.

"YOU'RE SO LAZY! YOU WERE NAPPING ALL NIGHT!" Papyrus chided Sans. I tried not to let Frisk's attitude bring me down, but I kind of just wanted to sleep and forget about what they had said.

"i think that's called… sleeping," Sans stated.

"EXCUSES, EXCUSES!" Papyrus yelled. Both brothers turned around when they noticed that Frisk and I had arrived. "OH-HO! THE HUMANS ARRIVE! IN ORDER TO STOP YOU… MY BROTHER AND I HAVE CREATED SOME PUZZLES! I THINK YOU WILL FIND THIS ONE… QUITE SHOCKING! FOR YOU SEE, THIS IS THE INVISIBLE… ELECTRICITY MAZE! WHEN YOU TOUCH THE WALLS OF THIS MAZE, THIS ORB WILL ADMINISTER A HEARTY ZAP! SOUND LIKE FUN? BECAUSE! THE AMOUNT OF FUN YOU WILL PROBABLY HAVE, IS ACTUALLY RATHER SMALL I THINK. OK, YOU CAN GO AHEAD NOW."

I stared at Papyrus, an eyebrow raised. Frisk started to walk forward, but I held them back. They groaned at me. "Papyrus, don't you think you should give us the ball now?" I asked, waggling my eyebrows.

"OH! YES, THANK YOU, HUMAN!" Papyrus began to walk towards us in the path we needed to take to get out of the maze. Sans looked over at me, his non-existent eyebrows raising in shock. Paps gave me the ball, patting my red hair lightly. "THERE YOU GO!" He sprinted back through the pathway and stared at both me and Frisk.

"You go first, Frisk," I whispered, handing them the ball. Frisk nodded, following Papyrus's footsteps. When they got to the other side, they threw the ball to me. I followed Pap's footsteps, just like Frisk, and ended up by Frisk's side.

"INCREDIBLE! YOU SLIPPERY SNAILS! YOU SOLVED IT SO EASILY… TOO EASILY!" Papyrus's eyes narrowed at us, "HOWEVER! THE NEXT PUZZLE WILL NOT BE EASY! IT IS DESIGNED BY MY BROTHER, SANS! YOU WILL SURELY BE CONFOUNDED! I KNOW I AM! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus slid out of view, and I watched as he disappeared. I turned to Frisk, hugging myself. The cold was starting to get to me.

"You saw that too, right? He just… He slid away… What the hell?" I mumbled, my eyes widening as I thought the situation over. "Okay, not that big of a deal. He's a skeleton after all."

"You're really overthinking things, don't you think?" Frisk muttered, and I rolled my eyes.

"Perhaps," I shrugged, before going over to Sans.

"hey, thanks… my brother seems like he's having fun," Sans grinned at both of us. "you both know where he got his battle body from, huh? oh well… don't have to waste energy tellin' ya, then."

My smile turned into a frown as I looked at Sans. He seemed so.. Hopeless. "Don't worry, Sans. At least it won't be like reliving your whole life over and over again, not anymore. I'm gonna spice things up," I wiggled my eyebrows, giving him jazz hands. He seemed to relax a little.

"heh. thanks, kid." He gave me another wink, which he seemed to be doing a lot. I waved at him as I left to the next area, Frisk sulking by my side.

"You're looking real down, Frisk'o," I mumbled, looking down at them. They shrugged, rubbing their hands on their cheeks.

"Just.. Seems like you're taking the lead," Frisk said quietly. I stopped in my spot, shock shaking me for a moment before I continued.

"You really could step in anytime you want. You.. Just choose not to?" I shrugged as I saw Nice Cream Guy, muttering angrily to himself. I waved at him, and just that movement seemed to brighten his day. He waved excitedly back towards me, and Frisk and I continued on our way towards the ice. I carefully kicked the snowball that laid on the ice, hitting it in the hole. A green flag popped up with a small note.  _Your concern and care for "Ball" led you to a delicious victory._ A gold coin came from the hole and I put into my backpack. "Hm. Ironic," I muttered.

"Come  _on_ , Alexis. You're taking forever," Frisk growled, and my head snapped towards them.

"Hey. Attitude. Quit it," I ordered, and Frisk crossed their arms.

"You're not my mom. You can't tell me what to do," Frisk shrugged, walking off to the next room. I tried not to get mad, but Frisk was being a brat. Every kid had their moments, I just had to keep my cool. I walked in after them, seeing a paper on the ground. Papyrus and Sans stood opposite of the paper, waiting for us.

"HUMANS! I HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR…" Paps paused, noticing the small paper on the ground. "SANS! WHERE'S THE PUZZLE!"

"it's right there. on the ground. trust me. there's no way they can get past this one," Sans said with confidence. I glanced at Frisk, waiting for them to do something. They just wanted to be noticed, that was all.

Frisk walked over to the junior jumble, gently hopping over it before standing in front of the skelly-brothers. I laughed tiredly.

"SANS! THEY DIDN'T EVEN LOOK AT IT!" Papyrus complained, looking torn.

"whoops. i knew i should've used today's crossword instead," Sans said before shrugging. Papyrus looked at him like he was crazy.

"WHAT!? CROSSWORD!? I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU SAID THAT! IN MY OPINION… JUNIOR JUMBLE IS EASILY THE HARDEST," Papyrus yelled, looking  _really_ offended. Then again, he almost always looked offended.

"what? really, dude? that easy-peasy word scramble? that's for baby bones," Sans said, looking cheekily over to his brother. Papyrus's face, somehow, seemed to grow red with anger. He didn't have blood, did he? Hm. Must be magic.

"UN. BELIEVABLE. HUMANS! SOLVE THIS DISPUTE!" Papyrus demanded. I motioned for Frisk to come closer to me.

"Listen, just make Papyrus happy and say junior jumble," I mumbled into Frisk's ear.

"Uh, but it's not? Lying is bad, Alexis," Frisk chided, and I rolled my eyes.

"Oh, please, you lie all the time. Come on. Do it. For me, pleaseeeee?" I flashed my eyelashes towards them, holding my hands in a praying position. Frisk sighed.

"Yeah, yeah. Okay. For you," Frisk muttered angrily and turned towards Papyrus. "Uh, junior jumble's the hardest. Definitely."

"HA! HA! YES! HUMANS MUST BE VERY INTELLIGENT! IF THEY ALSO FIND JUNIOR JUMBLE SO DIFFICULT! NYEH! HEH! HEH HEH!" And with that, Papyrus walked off to the next puzzle.

I laid down in the snow, my back still aching from what Sans did to me. "Ow, ow, ow," I mumbled, whining in pain, "When will the puzzles end? I just want to sleep…"

"Don't worry, Lexi! Just a few more to go!" Frisk said, seemingly back to their regular mood. They held their hand out, offering to help me. I grabbed it and stood up, holding my back.

"Hey.. When did you start calling me Lexi?" I asked, grinning down at them. Their face turned red and they rolled their eyes.

"Just now. Shut up," They ordered, and I laughed as we walked over to Sans.

"thanks for saying "junior jumble" just to appease my brother. yesterday he got stumped trying to "solve" the horoscope," Sans said, his eye lights brightening. "isn't my bro the best?"

"Sure is, Sans," I agreed tiredly. "See ya soon, skelly," I waved at him and he nodded. Frisk and I left to the next area, where a plate of frozen spaghetti and a bright star awaited us.

I examined the plate of spaghetti while Frisk walked over to the star. I tried to move the plate, but it was stuck to the table. If I tried to pick apart the noodles they would just break off. "So much for some yummy spaghetti," I muttered. I heard a small gasp and turned around. Frisk had looked like they had just been burned. "Frisk? Whats wro-"

"I can't save!" Frisk turned around, their eyes wide, "If I can't save then what if I die? Or you die? We can't reload and they'll have our souls and we'll  _die_  for good, Lexi! I can't die again, I can't! It hurts so much!"

"If you can't save, then doesn't that mean Flowey can?" I asked, and Frisk gasped once again, covering their mouth.

"That's WORSE, Alexis!" They screeched, their tears beginning to well up in their eyes.

"Hold up," I muttered, looking at the odd star. Okay, if Flowey had that power he would've figured out by now. He would've reset the world or killed us all by now. So..

I carefully walked towards the star, pressing it lightly. My fingers went through it, but it felt as if I had clicked something. Words flashed through my brain, the same ones from the game.  _Knowing the mouse might one day find a way to heat up the spaghetti… It fills you with kindness._

"Bitch, do not motherfucking tell me I have the ability to fucking save and reset.. HELL NO. Take it back, Frisk, take it back! I thought only people who were like, really determined got to save and reset? Oh, shit, Frisk, take it back!" I yelled, falling into the snow. Frisk fell down with me, holding my hand.

"It's okay, Lexi! Determination is only my main soul trait like yours is kindness. All humans have a little bit of all the traits in their souls, but one stands out the most. I've.. Just been losing a little bit of determination to do anything lately," Frisk trailed off, biting their lip. "I think something's wrong with me, Lexi. My chest always feels empty. I feel like nothing is worth it anymore. I struggle to get out of bed, whether it be on the surface or down here because I  _know_ I'm just gonna reset and everything will replay over and over again… I've lost determination, and of course, you've gained some! You just met your favorite.. Uh, your favorite characters, right?"

"Y-Yeah, sorta," My hands shook as I thought about dooming everyone to a life of resets. It was in  _my_ hands now. If Frisk died… I would be the one to have to reset. If  _I died_ , I would have to reset, or reload, whatever it was..

"You're determined to make them happy and save them, Lexi. I'm... not anymore. You know when you stopped Papyrus from being shocked by the maze? That definitely showed that you were determined to make him happy. When you told me to say junior jumble? Yeah, you're really determined! Just like I was," Frisk said, holding my hands. I was still shaking.

"Damn, you sure you're eight, kid?" I muttered, standing up from the snow. Frisk laughed, nodding while they stood up.

"I've lived  _a lot_ of resets. I've gotten a lil' wisdom over the years," Frisk mumbled, patting my arm. "You sure you're okay?"

"Uhm, yeah," I nodded, staring at the star in distaste, "I'm alright.."

"You know, being unable to save or reset kind of lifted that emptiness a little. I feel.. Better. I  _can't_ reset now, so that promise will stick," Frisk winked at me, holding my hand and taking me to the next area. I recognized it immediately.  _Oh god, the dogs. My first real battle._  I walked over to the switch which was hidden in the snow and flipped it. Frisk was ahead of me, walking towards where the dogs would be.

"Frisk! Wait!" I called, running towards where the dogs were supposed to show up. Frisk had beat me there, giving  _me_ the thumbs up before the dogs showed up. Then, the battle began. I sulked as I watched the dogs throw attacks at Frisk, I kinda wanted to speak to them one on one myself. But, Frisk had decided to take that chore.

When the battle ended, the dogs left, and Frisk held up a bag of gold while smiling brightly. "See?" They threw the bag at me and I almost dropped it, being caught off guard.

"Thanks, Frisk'o," I laughed, putting the gold into my backpack. We walked to the next area with a puzzle and spikes. Papyrus just happened to be on the other side of it. Frisk solved the puzzle like it was nothing at all, and once the spikes went down Papyrus noticed our presence.

"WHAT!? HOW DID YOU AVOID MY TRAP?" Papyrus yelled, his hands placed on his hip bones, "AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY… IS THERE ANY LEFT FOR ME?"

"Yep. Y'know, I really wanted to eat it, but I thought, why not save some for Papyrus?" I said, smiling at him. He seemed to brighten instantly.

"REALLY!? WOWIE… YOU RESISTED THE FLAVOR OF MY HOME COOKED PASTA… JUST SO YOU COULD SHARE IT WITH ME? FRET NOT HUMANS! I, MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS… WILL MAKE YOU ALL THE PASTA YOU COULD EVER WANT! HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus walked towards the next puzzle and I looked at Frisk, raising an eyebrow. They giggled and we followed him. "HUMANS! HMMM… HOW DO I SAY THIS… YOU WERE TAKING A LONG TIME TO ARRIVE, SO… I DECIDED TO IMPROVE THIS PUZZLE… BY ARRANGING THE SNOW TO LOOK MORE LIKE MY FACE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE SNOW FROZE TO THE GROUND. NOW THE SOLUTION IS DIFFERENT! AND, AS USUAL, MY LAZY BROTHER IS NOWHERE AROUND. I SUPPOSE WHAT I AM SAYING IS… WORRY NOT, HUMANS! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL SOLVE THIS CONUNDRUM! THEN WE CAN ALL PROCEED! MEANWHILE, FEEL FREE TO TRY THE PUZZLE YOURSELF! I'LL TRY NOT TO GIVE AWAY THE ANSWER!"

I walked away from Papyrus, trying to find the tree which had the lever on it. Once I did, I pushed it down, hearing the puzzle click. Frisk gave me another thumbs up and I shrugged, looking over at Papyrus. "WOW! YOU SOLVED IT! AND YOU DID IT ALL WITHOUT MY HELP… INCREDIBLE! I'M IMPRESSED! YOU MUST CARE ABOUT PUZZLES LIKE I DO! WELL, I'M SURE YOU'LL LOVE THE NEXT PUZZLE THEN! IT MIGHT EVEN BE TOO EASY FOR YOU! NYEH! HEHEH HEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus yelled before walking off once again. I was so tired, I didn't even know why. I just needed sleep.

"hey, kiddo. you ain't lookin' too good," Sans said as I passed him. I looked back at him, forcing my eyes to stay open.

"I actually want to die," I muttered, trying to keep from falling. "I need sleep."

"don't worry, the worst is over. just have to wait to get in the inn. I'll get'cha a room for free since i know the owner of the inn," Sans said, and Frisk rolled their eyes. They seemed to do that a lot.

"He never did that for me…" Frisk muttered, stalking angrily off into the next room. I stared at them worriedly, biting my lip.

"no need to worry, seriously, pal. frisk is just goin' through a lot. they need time," Sans set a hand on my shoulder and I looked at him, sighing.

"Yeah, I know.. Sans.. They've lost determination. Literally, they lost the power to reset. Sans…" I breathed deeply, clenching and unclenching my hands. " _I_ have the ability to reset now."

Just like that, Sans stepped away from me, taking his hand off my shoulder. "what? what happened to the kid?"

"Like I said, they've lost determination. I think they're depressed," I looked off to where Frisk had left. "Obviously. I would be too if I had died over millions of times. How old would Frisk be.. If the resets hadn't occurred?"

"they'd be turnin' 13," Sans sighed, tilting his head. "poor kid. wish I could see inside their head, see what they're thinkin," Sans paused, then his eye lights flickered up to me. "whatever ya do, please, don't reset. i know it can be tempting-"

"Trust me, I won't," I nodded at Sans, giving him a small smile.

"Thanks, kiddo. You'd better get goin' if you wanna sleep in that inn," Sans warned, and I nodded before following Frisk's footsteps. I stopped when I realized that the room was empty, so Frisk obviously had solved the light up floor puzzle. I carefully stepped on it, seeing if it triggered anything, before walking into the next area. I still hadn't seen Frisk, so I kept walking to the next puzzle. It had already been solved, so I just slipped right onto the ice and into the next room. I sighed in relief as I saw Frisk battling Greater Dog.

"Frisk? You doin' alright?" I asked, and Frisk turned to me, accidentally getting hit by one of Greater Dog's attack. "Oh, crap! Sorry!" I called. Frisk gave me a glare before returning their attention to Greater Dog.

I sat in boredom, watching the battle. Once it ended Greater Dog walked off and Frisk turned to me, holding up another bag of gold. "Jesus," I muttered, catching the bag they threw at me.

"We're gonna be rich by the time we get out of the underground!" Frisk called, and I shook my head with laugher.

"Sure, Frisk, sure," We both chuckled and walked to the next room. I felt relief wash over my joints as I saw the long bridge and both Frisk and I walked over it. At the end were Sans and Papyrus in all their glory.

"HUMANS! THIS IS YOUR FINAL AND MOST DANGEROUS CHALLENGE! BEHOLD! THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!" After Papyrus said the introduction, a chain with a spiked ball, a spear, a dog, a flame torch, another spear, and a cannon appeared out of  _nowhere_. I assumed it was magic. "WHEN I SAY THE WORD, IT WILL FULLY ACTIVATE! CANNONS WILL FIRE! SPIKES WILL SWING! BLADES WILL SLICE! EACH PART WILL SWING VIOLENTLY UP AND DOWN! ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE OF VICTORY WILL REMAIN! ARE YOU READY!? BECAUSE! I! AM! ABOUT! TO DO IT!" Everybody paused, waiting for what would come. I anxiously tapped my thigh, biting my lip, but nothing happened.

"well? what's the holdup?" Sans asked, and I looked up at the poor puppy being hung from the rope. He didn't look like he was in pain. In fact, he looked like he was enjoying it. Eh.

"HOLDUP!? WHAT HOLDUP!? I'M… I'M ABOUT TO ACTIVATE IT NOW!" Papyrus claimed. Once again we stood in silence, waiting for something to happen.

"Uh, paps?" I asked quietly, staring at all the deadly weapons pointed at us.. Oh, and the dog.

"that, uh, doesn't look very activated," said Sans. I had to cover my mouth to stop my cackles from getting out.

"WELL! THIS CHALLENGE! IT SEEMS… MAYBE… TOO EASY TO DEFEAT THE HUMANS WITH. YEAH! WE CAN'T USE THIS ONE! I AM A SKELETON WITH STANDARDS! MY PUZZLES ARE VERY FAIR! AND MY TRAPS ARE EXPERTLY COOKED! BUT THIS METHOD IS TOO DIRECT! NO CLASS AT ALL! AWAY IT GOES!" Just like that, the items disappeared into thin air. I tried to squint and see where they went, but it was no use. They fucking vanished.

What the fuck..

"PHEW!" Papyrus looked away for a few seconds before noticing our glancing. "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT!? THIS WAS ANOTHER DECISIVE VICTORY FOR PAPYRUS! NYEH! HEH! … HEH?" With that one confused nyeh, Papyrus left the scene. I took a deep breath, wishing I was already in the inn.

Frisk began to walk over to Sans and I followed them. "why don't you kiddo's take a rest at the inn? it'll do you some good," Sans said, looking pointedly at me. "i already set up the reservation, so this is an offer ya can't refuse."

"Please, Frisk," I mumbled, yawning for effect. "I just need to lay in a bed and sleep!"

"Ya, I get it," Frisk sighed, yawning too, "I'm tired. Let's go," They sighed again, and I waved at Sans like I usually did, mouthing 'thanks'. I didn't see what he said after that because Frisk had pulled me to the town of Snowdin. I could practically hear the music in my head. "Save, please," Frisk reminded me, and I nodded. I pressed the star like I had the other time, words popping into my mind again.  _The sight of such a friendly town fills you with kindness._

It.. Was almost as if somebody was  _speaking_ to me. I could hear their voice.. Inside my mind. I shrugged it off, though.

"Hey, Frisk, you know what we should do? Check out that nice bunny lady in the shop," I said while Frisk pulled me towards the inn.

"We can do that tomorrow, for now, let's get you to bed," Frisk chided. I stood there, kind of shocked by how motherly they sounded before following them into the inn. As the door closed behind us I felt a nice warmth surround me. It was nice and toasty in there.

"Hiya!" The bunny at the counter greeted, "You two must be the little ones Sans told me about! I have your room key right here! Sorry that you have to share a room, but all the others are reserved!" The bunny lady tsked herself quietly, laying the key on the counter. Frisk stepped on their tippy-toes, grabbing the key off the counter. They grabbed my hand and we walked up the stairs, unlocking the door to our room.

The first. Thing. I. heard.

Was snoring.

"God Dammit," I muttered, falling against the bed. "I don't even care anymore," I pulled the sheets over me, sighing in comfort. I felt a weight shift onto the other side of the bed and peaked at Frisk. "You okay, Frisk?"

"Yep," They said quietly, "Just really tired… Hey, Lexi?"

"Yeah?" I asked. Suddenly we had brought our voices down to a whisper.

"Are you gonna reset?" Frisk asked, and I shook my head.

"No, Frisk. I'm never resetting," I muttered, reaching over to turn out the light. "Now go to sleep."

"Goodnight, Lexi."

"Night, kiddo."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't really like how this chapter turned out, but it did allow me to progress in the story, so I'll let it slide by, I guess. Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Jesus Lord I'm a bad writer, but I really enjoy writing stories. I hope this first chapter was good, and if not, then I'm really sorry! Tell me how I can improve, and I'll try my best! Thanks for reading.
> 
> -Jaaynna


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